John Arthur Hutchison: Primary election sets up campaigns for November

There were a few eyebrows raised in the May 6 election and that’s why you just never know what will happen in politics until it actually does.
Maybe the most surprising result was when Willoughby resident Kimberly Laurie emerged victorious in the three-way Republican primary for Lake County commissioner.
When Laurie filed to run for commissioner shortly before the Feb. 5 deadline, not many (including me) knew who she was. Laurie has been involved in Liberty group organizations including service as the president of the Mentor chapter of the 9/12 Project, a national conservative organization with groups across the country.
Laurie campaigned smartly and used different tools at her disposal, including a significant presence on the popular social media website Facebook. She also joined forces with state Rep. Matt Lynch who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in a GOP primary against incumbent U.S. Rep. Dave Joyce.
She was able to get conservative voters to unite behind her campaign. It will be interesting to see if her views will appeal to the broader voter demographic in November because it won’t just be Republicans voting in the general election.
She will face incumbent Commissioner Daniel P. Troy, a Willowick Democrat who was unopposed in his party’s primary. Another potential candidate in the race could be Mentor resident Daniel Tharp, who filed as an independent on the May 5 deadline. He still needs to be certified by the Lake County Elections Board to qualify for the Nov. 4 ballot.
Troy has served as commissioner since 1998 and was a state representative for years prior and has a lengthy track record of service that he will tout during the campaign. My hunch is he won’t take his opponent(s) lightly.
Let’s rumble
Now that Joyce won the GOP primary for Ohio’s 14th Congressional District, he will face Democrat Michael Wager of Moreland Hills and Libertarian David Macko of Solon.
I anticipate this will be a no-holding-back type of campaign as Joyce looks to keep his seat, while Wager believes the congressman is vulnerable to be ousted. A credit to Macko for running and to be a part of the process, but the race likely boils down to Joyce and Wager.
During the GOP primary it was fascinating to watch Lynch and Joyce paint themselves to Republican voters as the “conservative” candidate. Wager already used this as part of his effort to portray Joyce as someone aligned with the “Tea Party” and who doesn’t have the middle class in mind. Meanwhile Joyce will look to say the country needs to operate on a budget and that Wager is part of a Democratic Party that wants to spend more and punish job creators.
There will be many other issues such as health care that will be debated during this campaign that national observers think could be among the most competitive congressional races in the country. Lots of money will be spent, I can guarantee that.
Prediction recap
Last week, I made predictions in seven candidate races and two issues. I managed to get five of nine correct, so hey that’s better than 50 percent, right?
I correctly picked winners in the GOP congressional primary (Joyce), Ohio House 76th District GOP primary (Sarah LaTourette), and Ohio Senate District 25 Democratic primary (Kenny Yuko). However, I missed with Lake County Common Pleas Court judge Democratic primary when I picked Ron Graham instead of Dennis LoConti, Lake County commissioner GOP with a pick of Christopher Galloway instead of Laurie, Geauga County commissioner GOP primary by selecting Mary Samide rather than Walter Claypool, and Geauga County Auditor with a pick of Mary Matheney instead of Frank Gliha.
I went two for two with issues correctly choosing the Cuyahoga County sin tax extension to pass and state Issue 1 to pass.
Fundies
* Eleventh District Court of Appeals Court Judge Timothy Cannon hosts fundraiser from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. May 20 at LaMalfa Party Center in Mentor. See Paul Malchesky, Jim Falvey or Lisa Cannon.
* Lake County Commissioner Robert E. Aufuldish hosts golf outing with shotgun start at 1 p.m. May 30 at Powderhorn Country Club in Madison Township. See Kathie Aufuldish-Freshour or Ernie Koenig.

Advertisement

About the Author

John is a veteran multimedia journalist who covers government and politics in Lake County. He loves running and Cleveland sports. Reach the author at jhutchison@news-herald.com
or follow John Arthur on Twitter: @newsheraldjah.